“I’m never doing a deadlift again in my life.”
Home and Away star Ada Nicodemou has revealed the life-altering impact of her recent injury.
The actor, who plays Leah Patterson on the soap, was left bed-ridden last year after a serious sneezing incident. Appearing on an episode of the Bounce Forward podcast, Nicodemou recalled how the painful injury forced her to make big changes to her fitness regime.
“I had an injury — now, don’t laugh — about a year and a half ago I sneezed,’ she told host and personal trainer Tiff Hall.
“I woke up in the morning to go to the gym at 5am and I was in my dressing room getting changed and I sneezed, and I perforated a disc. I was in so much pain!”
After having an operation, Nicodemou revealed she still has a numb foot on one side that will “probably never heal properly”. She added: “I think I’ve damaged a nerve.”
Nicodemou went on to share how much she enjoys exercise, and that her injury “really made me rethink a lot of things I was doing”.
“I was a machine, I’d spin and then box, all that sort of stuff, then I got into heavy weightlifting as well. Now, I’m like I’m never doing a deadlift again in my life.
“It’s freaked me out because I’ve got two discs that were damaged,” she said. “I’m just too scared!”
Despite being unable to run, due to her numb foot, the actor has found other ways to exercise. She explained that she does Pilates, lifts light weights and goes on walks in order to keep fit.
Home and Away airs weekdays at 1.45pm on Channel 5, with repeat screenings at 6pm on 5STAR and first look screenings at 6.30pm on 5STAR. Selected classic episodes are available via Prime Video in the UK.